The present invention relates to binders which are especially but not exclusively suitable for use in the storage of monthly journals or other periodicals.
Typically, periodicals are stored in binders which are of a sleeve-like appearance as a result of being open at one end, and partially open at one side. The binders may be designed to hold, for example, six or twelve periodicals standing side-by-side. However, the binders are clearly not restricted to use in the storage of periodicals, and are instead often used in the storage of other generally flat items, such as long playing records or loose printed sheets of music.
Typically, the binders are made of cardboard, or moulded of plastics materials, and in any event are supplied in an assembled condition which is ready-to-use.
This takes up considerable space during transit.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide binders which can be shipped by a manufacturer, posted by a distributor or sold by a retailer in a generally planar form for subsequent assembly by an end user.
According to the present invention, a binder comprises:
a first panel divided by a first fold line from a second panel which is divided by a second fold line from a third panel, the first and second fold lines being intersected by three slits, the central slit being longer than the first and second outer slits and each end of the central slit being joined to an adjacent end of each of the first and second outer slits by a respective crease line;
whereby, when the third panel is folded about outer parts of the first and second fold lines to be spaced from yet overlie the first panel, the material between the central slit and the first outer slit is folded about its associated crease lines and the inner parts of the first and second fold lines to form a first strap, and the material between the central slit and the second outer slit is folded about its associated crease lines and the inner parts of the first and second fold lines to form a second strap.
It will be appreciated that the binder can be readily assembled by the end user merely by following simple instructions.
It will also be appreciated that, after assembly, the first and third panels can be regarded as the front and rear of the binder, the outer parts of the second panel can be regarded as the base of the binder, and the inner parts of the second panel constituting the central parts of the first and second straps can be regarded as the sides of the binder.
Before discussing various modifications, such as extending the first panel to allow the binder to be closed at the top or extending/reducing the second panel to allow the binder to be of greater/smaller storage capacity, it will be convenient to discuss preferred materials as well as preferred methods of forming the slits, fold lines and crease lines in the preferred materials.
The binder is preferably formed in one piece of sheet or sheet-like material which is flexible yet durable.
The material is preferably a plastics material such as one of the olefins, e.g. polypropylene or polyethylene, or alternatively acetate or polyvinyl chloride. However, the material could be of any suitable composition, such as paper, cardboard, metal or fabric, or a laminate in which, for example, a plastics material is covered by a metallic foil. Moreover, the material is preferably translucent but could alternatively be either clear or opaque.
The material is preferably extruded or rolled to be initially of substantially uniform thickness throughout. Then, conventional die cutting technology may enable the slits to be produced by cutting rules, and may enable the fold lines and the crease lines to be produced by creasing rules. In practice, the cutting rules are considerably sharper than the creasing rules. Alternatively, a separate operation to form the slits, fold lines and crease lines may be avoided if the material is moulded to be of non-uniform thickness using conventional casting, pressing or injection moulding techniques.
Preferably, the binder is supplied to the end user in a condition which is ready-to-be-assembled i.e. with the slits, fold lines and crease lines having all been fully pre-formed.
Nevertheless, there may be circumstances in which it is desirable for the binder to be supplied to the end user in a condition which is not ready-to-be-assembled i.e. with the slits, fold lines and crease lines not having all been fully pre-formed.
For example, to help maintain structural integrity during transit to the end user, one or more of the slits may have been just partly pre-formed as a result of being spanned by one or more webs or other frangible connections which need to be broken by the end user.
Additionally, or alternatively, to help prevent crumpling during transit to the end user, one or more of the fold lines and the crease lines may have been insufficiently pre-formed or, as an extreme, may merely have had their intended locations indicated to the end user, for example by one or more printed lines or other guide marks.
The difference between the slits, the fold lines and the crease lines may need to be explained to the end userxe2x80x94it is possible, for example, that the slits are formed from perforated lines with relatively small webs which are readily broken, whereas the fold lines and the crease lines are formed from perforated lines with relatively large webs which are not readily broken.
There may well be little if any practical difference between the constructions of the fold lines and the crease linesxe2x80x94in each case, there is a line of intended deformation which may be either present in the material before the binder is assembled by the end user, or present in the material only after the binder is assembled by the end user.
As previously indicated, various modifications are possible.
In one modification, which is useful when there is a risk of the binder""s contents falling out, the first panel is extended to form a flap to be folded over and secured to the third panel, thereby allowing the binder to be closed at the top.
Another modification allows the binder to maintain its assembled condition and not collapse, even when the binder has not been completely filled, the assembled condition being maintained by securing each of the first and second straps to the first and third panels.
In general, parts of the binder which are to be secured to one another are preferably secured to one another by adhesive or tab/slot connections or other fixings which come with the binder so that additional fixings are not required by the end user.
If the binder is to be used with particularly thin contents, the first and second fold lines are preferably coincident with one another, or are at least extremely close to one another, across the entire width of the binder so that the second panel effectively disappears.
However, if the binder is to be used with contents which in combination are generally triangular in side elevation, the first and second fold lines are preferably coincident with one another, or are at least extremely close to one another, only at their outer parts so that the outer parts of the second panel effectively disappear, or alternatively only at their inner parts so that the inner parts of the second panel effectively disappear.
In other modifications, the binder is provided with a handle or an inner sleeve either or each of which can be separate from the binder but is preferably an integral part of the binder.
There is no need for the binder to be symmetrical and thus, rather than being parallel or substantially parallel to the central slit, the first and second outer slits can be curved or angular.
It should be appreciated that the assembled binder is not restricted to being of rectangular outline, when viewed in any orthogonal direction, but could at least reflect the outline of the intended contents.
Moreover, it should be appreciated that the assembled binder is not restricted to storing contents which are arranged in a single stack, but could store contents arranged in two or more stacks merely by duplicating the above-defined construction of the slits, fold lines and crease lines.
If there is such duplication, it would be possible for contents of the correct width to extend between a first strap associated with a first set of three slits and a second strap associated with a second set of three slits. The second strap associated with the first set of three slits, and the first strap associated with the second set of three slits, would thus be redundant and if desired could be omitted. The resulting construction would be such that, in effect, a single central slit had been split into two separate central slits.
Splitting the central slit into two is within the present invention just as joining the or parts of the first and second fold lines into one is within the present invention.
In a particularly preferred modification, the storage capacity of the binder can be adjusted in a series of set increments. To this end, a series of the first and/or second fold lines is provided to allow the distance between the first and the third panels to be adjusted. At the same time, to allow the central parts of the first and second straps to continue to act as the sides of the assembled binder, all of the three slits are capable of being lengthened. The lengthening is readily achieved by pre-forming each of the three slits with a plurality of slit extensions which are brought into operation by selective breaking of frangible connecting webs.
In general, the lengths of the slits can be adjusted so that the final positions of the central parts of the straps can fall inside or outside the side edges of the first and third panels.
The various modifications are not necessarily independent of one another but could be combined with one another.
Consequently, if the modification providing the top flap is combined with the modification providing the adjustable storage capacity, it is preferred that the top flap be formed with a pair of catches, each of which could be a double catch, for allowing the top flap to be releasably secured to selected slits in two series of slits formed in the third panel.
In yet another modification, the first and second outer slits can be regarded as having migrated outwards to be coincident with the side edges of the binder, structural integrity being achieved by either inserting an integral inner sleeve into the open sleeve formed from the first, second and third panels or, alternatively, wrapping an integral outer sleeve around the open sleeve formed from the first, second and third panels.
There are a number of advantages which are common to all of the binders according to the present invention and which are in addition to those previously indicated.
For example, the use of rectangular blanks with slits and creases gives rise to very little wasted material, the use of material with major faces of different colour (e.g. co-extrusion) gives rise to colour contrast in the assembled binder because of the way in which the straps are folded, and the use of a simple principle of construction allows many different types of contents to be packaged such as wall tiles, CD jewel cases, or credit cards and not just periodicals, photographs or loose sheets of paper.